The 5 Most Important Skincare Products

I am all about skincare. Yes, I love makeup, but if you don’t take care of your skin, it doesn’t matter how much great makeup you can put on your face. The skin tells the truth under all that makeup. And there are few makeup products that can make bad skin look good….most just sort of make it look “OK” and do you want to have skin that looks just “OK”? Yea, me neither.

Healthy, clear skin is where you need to start. Plus, some days you just need to let your skin breathe, you know? And if you constantly rely on makeup to mask skin problems, you probably won’t want to leave the house without some makeup on…and there goes your chance at letting it breathe. AND (if all of that wasn’t enough) the better your skin looks naturally, the less makeup you need to use…which saves you money! YAY!

So, before we get into my 5 TOP TIPS…I want to explain my personal skin issues with you. Yes, I have good skin now, but it hasn’t always been that way.

I have Rosacea. I was diagnosed with this skin condition a few years ago when I was having the WORST reactions, the absolute worst skin of my life. I was having bumpy, red, itchy, dry reactions all over my face for about 7 months. I hated the way I looked. I felt so self conscious and I wouldn’t leave the house without foundation on in an attempt to cover up the problems. I went to a few dermatologists who all told me that I was having some type of allergic reaction and and I had to cut out all products except for two very very mild, bland products: one to cleanse and one to moisturize.

First problem with this…TOTAL snooze fest for a product junkie! And secondly, it didn’t work at all. I still had the terrible skin. I would get pimple-like bumps all over, so I would put a drying lotion on them, which made my skin dry, itchy and flaky. Then I would moisturize, and the bumps would get worse. It was a vicious cycle and I was losing my mind over it. And no matter what you do, makeup won’t cover up bad skin texture!

Then, FINALLY, I found a dermatologist who gave me a real answer…a real diagnosis. An answer and a solution. ABOUT FUCKING TIME! I mean, it took 7 months and FOUR dermatologists to figure this shit out! Like I said, I have rosacea and my new dermatologist had a real game plan to combat and control this condition.

Because my reactions were so bad, she put me on a super light daily dose of antibiotic to calm the inflammation, which I wasn’t thrilled with. You know, because of ALL the annoying complications that go hand in hand being on an antibiotic…especially for more than a week! EEK! But I was desperate at this point, so I took the prescription and proceeded to take a does of antibiotics daily, followed with a prescription topical treatment morning and night.

I kid you not…everything cleared up in literally 3 days. THREE days and I was looking like myself again and I was so happy! Plus, I had no adverse reactions to the antibiotics whatsoever! A total win-win! Except for the fact that I didn’t want to be tied to these antibiotics for the rest of my life…talk about an annoying ball and chain, you know?

So I identified my external and internal triggers….and UGH it all gets so much worse, you guys! My triggers are:

Sunlight

Caffeine

Alcohol

Spicy Food

I KID YOU NOT. Basically, all the things I love. Obviously, I can’t cut all of that out because I still want to enjoy my damn life, so I have found ways to gain control over the skin condition and lessen the outbreaks naturally.

I do still have a prescription of those antibiotics that I take whenever I am working on a film or TV show, because stress and lack of sleep also tigger my skin condition, and when I am working…stress and lack of sleep are basically give ins. Plus, I just want to be extra protected from a nasty flare up…I basically take on pill every other day to make sure the inflammation stays under control. But during “off” time, I don’t take the meds and instead I rely on a healthy skincare routine that keeps my skin clear, fresh, calm and glowing. AND, I have to say…since using this routine daily, I barely need the medicine, even when I am working! It really has changed my skin for the better and I am so thankful.

So, NOW…let’s get into my top 5 topical skin products for youthful, glowing skin. Of course, there are other products I use and love…but these 5 are the ones I think are the most important and most potent products for keeping your skin looking young and fresh, naturally.

I am all about prevention when it comes to aging, and these products are the absolute top! Plus, they are super easy to add into your daily routine.

Top 5 Topical Skincare Products for Youthful, Glowing Skin

Vitamin C Serum

You already know I love vitamin C serum, especially this one by LATHER. But I recently found out even more about how great vitamin C is for your skin, if you can believe that! It is a powerful antioxidant that firms the skin, clears up redness and inflammation, gets rid of brown spots and gives you that tight bright look. After upping my vitamin C serum application I have seen SUCH great results. My skin literally glows and the redness has gone down tremendously. I also like to mix the serum into my eye cream to keep the skin around my eyes healthy and to prevent that droopy, creased eyelid skin…you know what I am talking about! My favorites are below, including one AMAZING eye cream…seriously, you guys…it is BEYOND!

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Sunscreen

Sunscreen is the number one way to keep your skin looking young. I absolutely never leave the house and go into the sun without sunscreen on. Avoid the rays like the plague! Yes, I do like to have a tan…but I don’t get my tan from the sun because it is just not worth the risk and the damaging effects. Sun exposure breaks down collagen which then leads to wrinkles…and the more you tan in the sun, the older you will look. And this happens every single day, not just when you get old, meaning you will look older sooner. NO GO! Sun worshipers out there, please please listen up! I guarantee your future self will thank you for staying out of the sun now. I put a face sunblock all over my face, neck and chest, then I rub the rest into my hands (hands show age SO much, so don’t neglect them!!) Then I use a good spray sunscreen all over the exposed parts of the rest of my body before I head out into the sun. I also keep a spray in my car so I can easily add more through the day if I need it. As for my tans, I get all my glowing, bronzed tans from a bottle, read about my favorites here!

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Hyaluronic Acid

Hyaluronic acid helps to promote collagen synthesis, which is important because as we age, collagen production naturally decreases or straight up stops. HA also really plumps the skin up- it is actually what most injectable fillers are made of, so when you apply it topically, it helps plump your skin and reduce the appearance of fine lines. It is also one of the best moisturizing products you can use. I like to put it all over my face, neck and chest immediately after cleansing, let it dry on the skin, and then follow it with vitamin C serum, sunscreen and my natural moisturizer. It is naturally found in the body, so applying it topically is a great, natural way to plump and moisturize your skin from the outside in.

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Retinol

I actually just started using retinol recently…and I am sort of wondering what the F took me so long! Retinol increases the skins cell turnover rate, which leads to younger looking skin and a reduction in fine lines and wrinkles. You get rid of topical damage from the sun and pollution and, as a result, reveal the fresh, glowing skin underneath. I think that starting using retinol early is such a great way to prevent wrinkles and fine lines form forming in the first place. Combat aging before it all really has a chance of setting in. It is so important to use sunscreen with retinol though! You don’t want that fresh, new skin getting burned! I use retinol about twice a week to avoid any irritation, because it is known to have a drying affect on certain skin types. Also, if you suffer from acne, retinol will help clear your skin SO well!

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Natural Moisturizer

A good moisturizer is obviously super important to beautiful, well hydrated skin…but the type of moisturizer you use is also very important. SO many moisturizers out there are filled with weird ingredients and chemicals you can’t even pronounce…and those ingredients are doing nothing good for your skin. You skin sucks up what you put onto it, so why would you want it to be sucking up a bunch of icky chemicals?! That’s why I use natural moisturizers that have ingredients I want my skin to absorb. Making this switch has had HUGE benefits to the look, feel and health of my skin. My current obsession is the Rose Day Cream by Dr. Hauschka, but below are my other favorites!

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